Eye-catching NASA Astronomy Pictures of the Week: Jupiter’s swirls, Virgo Galaxy Cluster, and more

NASA regularly publishes images of various celestial objects as part of its Astronomy Picture of the Day project, featuring astrophotographers from around the world. This week’s best pictures include stunning snapshots of Jupiter’s swirls, the Virgo Galaxy Cluster, and more.

Supernova near M101 Spiral Galaxy (May 22) - This is a snapshot of the supernova SN 2023ixf located near the M101 spiral galaxy. This supernova was discovered by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki and was located on the automated images captured by the Zwicky Transient Facility, a wide-field sky astronomical survey in California. (NASA/Craig Stocks)

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1/5 Supernova near M101 Spiral Galaxy (May 22) - This is a snapshot of the supernova SN 2023ixf located near the M101 spiral galaxy. This supernova was discovered by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki and was located on the automated images captured by the Zwicky Transient Facility, a wide-field sky astronomical survey in California. (NASA/Craig Stocks)

Breathtaking swirls of Jupiter (May 23) - Jupiter’s swirls, formed due to the storms raging on the surface of the planet can be seen in this breathtaking image. According to NASA, The planet has also been harboring various natural phenomena for hundreds of years. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years. ( NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS)

2/5 Breathtaking swirls of Jupiter (May 23) - Jupiter’s swirls, formed due to the storms raging on the surface of the planet can be seen in this breathtaking image. According to NASA, The planet has also been harboring various natural phenomena for hundreds of years. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm bigger than Earth that has raged for hundreds of years. ( NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS)

Moon hides behind Jupiter (May 24) - This is an amazing snapshot of lunar occultation, as the Moon hid behind Jupiter. This phenomenon occurred earlier this month, and while the Moon is half-lit by the Sun, its other part is in hiding. In the snapshot shared by NASA, the Moon is backdropping the Lick Observatory in California, USA, on the summit of Mount Hamilton. (NASA/Rick Whitacre)

3/5 Moon hides behind Jupiter (May 24) - This is an amazing snapshot of lunar occultation, as the Moon hid behind Jupiter. This phenomenon occurred earlier this month, and while the Moon is half-lit by the Sun, its other part is in hiding. In the snapshot shared by NASA, the Moon is backdropping the Lick Observatory in California, USA, on the summit of Mount Hamilton. (NASA/Rick Whitacre)

Breathtaking Cat's Eye Nebula (May 25) -  NGC 6543, also known as the Cat's Eye Nebula located about 3000 light-years away was shot in this spectacular image. According to NASA, the Cat’s Eye Nebula is one of the best-known planetary nebulae in the sky and its faint outer halo spans about 5 light-years. NGC 6543 is located towards the constellation of Draco and was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on February 15, 1786. (NASA/Jean-Francois Bax/Guillaume Gruntz)

4/5 Breathtaking Cat's Eye Nebula (May 25) -  NGC 6543, also known as the Cat's Eye Nebula located about 3000 light-years away was shot in this spectacular image. According to NASA, the Cat’s Eye Nebula is one of the best-known planetary nebulae in the sky and its faint outer halo spans about 5 light-years. NGC 6543 is located towards the constellation of Draco and was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on February 15, 1786. (NASA/Jean-Francois Bax/Guillaume Gruntz)

Virgo cluster of galaxies (May 26) - It is a snapshot of the Virgo cluster of galaxies located about 50 million light-years away. According to NASA, the Virgo cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies and contains over 2000 galaxies. This cluster also includes bright Messier galaxies such as M84 and M86 which are part of the Markarian's Chain. Dominating this galaxy cluster is the giant elliptical galaxy M87. (NASA/Abdullah Al-Harbi)

5/5 Virgo cluster of galaxies (May 26) - It is a snapshot of the Virgo cluster of galaxies located about 50 million light-years away. According to NASA, the Virgo cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies and contains over 2000 galaxies. This cluster also includes bright Messier galaxies such as M84 and M86 which are part of the Markarian's Chain. Dominating this galaxy cluster is the giant elliptical galaxy M87. (NASA/Abdullah Al-Harbi)